We finally made it! Walked in a got lucky, there was only 2…read morein line. When we were up; we got to ask what everything was. I wish items would have been listed in print. Having to ask and get descriptions. Not an inclusive model. I loved everything we got! The cronut was my favorite for sure!

Visited Sunday morning, arrived about 5 mins before open so we waited outside. We utilized free…read morestreet parking. By open there were 9 people in total waiting, which showed me how popular this place is and made me glad I arrived early. I ordered the lychee raspberry matcha with oat milk and a croissant donut. I didn't like the croissant donut it was soft but I didn't like the filling. The matcha was delicious and I would definitely get it again.

Had an hour between appointments and the receptionist recommended the Astoria Cafe for excellent…read morecoffee - boy was she right! The young man at the counter offered me an extensive menu of regular coffees, espresso drinks and specialty drinks, all of which could be made hot or cold. They also have a variety of milk selections. Unfortunately, they were out of skim milk today, but he offered to tweak the amount when I told him that the main reason I usually had skim milk was to enhance the coffee flavor(and their coffee really tasted good). Additionally, he offered to make my drink in my personal cup which was great since I hate to use plastic whenever I can. This location is only a half block from United Hospital and all its various buildings and there is no good coffee within that entire complex. It's definitely worth getting a breath of fresh air and taking a block and a half stroll to have a great cup of Joe! By the way, although I tried hard not to look, their pastry case looked scrumptious, filled with homemade pies by the slice and other goodies. Since they are so close to the hospital it's really nice that they also have a lovely display of fresh cut flowers. Next time I'm down here I'm going to stop in for a meal. If the food is as good as the coffee I think I'll become a regular.

Stopped by Cafe Astoria in St. Paul and had a pumpkin spice latte and a chocolate croissant. Both…read morewere excellent. The latte had great flavor without being overly sweet, and the croissant was fresh, flaky, and full of chocolate. The atmosphere was one of my favorite parts.Its a cool, laid back, scene and a great place to relax for a while. I'll definitely be back to try more from the menu. Highly recommend if you're looking for a good coffee spot in St. Paul.

We stopped here on Father's Day as part of a donut tour my kiddo put together, and I'm so glad this…read morewas our first stop -- holy moly, these are some of the best brioche donuts I've had. My husband and I loved how lightly sweetened both the cream and the dough were. My tween was a little indifferent and would've preferred something non-cream filled with more sugar, but that's a tween for you. It's a smaller space with some seating, but the seating doesn't have windows, so we opted to walk across and enjoy our donuts while wandering the farmers market instead -- honestly a perfect way to eat them. If you're a donut lover, put this place on your list even if you have to park and walk a bit. Worth it.

I can't give it more than four stars for reasons I'll get into but I definitely recommend trying it…read moreif you are around when they're open. It seems that they are rightly known for their sweet baked goods, hence the name, but they have some savory offerings as well. I had heard good things about their congee so I made a point to try that. It was good! Filling, plenty of meat. I also have had a unique, savory roll that was buttery and great, I forgot what it's called but it's good. And I had a Lychee Rose brioche donut. Decadent! Delicious. Loved it. I got a Vietnamese coffee one time that was great, and a matcha milk with ube foam that was also great. So, yeah, really everything I've had has been great! The opening hours are painfully limited. They are only open from 9am to 1pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And both times I came it was close to noon and they were sold out of LOTS of things. I'm convinced that if you go there because you want something specific, you simply can't trust them to have it available. Instead of planning a specific visit, the wiser approach would be to give them a look if you're in the area during one of the 12 hours they are open in a given week, and see if you're interested in what they aren't sold out of. They have an indoor counter which you get to via the main entrance on 4th street, and guessing your way through the halls until you find them past that gallery. There is also a seating section which has the ambience of a break room at a DMV. But there is also an outdoor window on Saturday & Sunday, with some seats set up in the alley; that description sounds dicey but it's perfectly fine. My hope is that they improve on some of this to make for a more predictably positive experience!

Very cute ice cream spot with outdoor seating. It smells very sweet inside and I like how unique…read morethe dessert shop is with their flavors. There is a self-order kiosk or you can order at the counter. Food was mid in all honesty. The Strawberry Matcha Ice Cream was probably one of the biggest misses I have ever had. It is vanilla ice cream with strawberry jam at the bottom, and whisked matcha (still warm!) on TOP of the ice cream, making it a major spill hazard. This was pretty disappointing since we were expecting actual matcha ice cream (and maybe it was wrong of us to assume so). I wish the kiosk had images of the items for ordering though...didn't seem like there were any and you just had to hope that what you're getting sounds intriguing enough just by the name. Boba Ice Cream (brown sugar syrup) was okay. The brown sugar syrup was what was saving the entire thing. It's aesthetically cute, but it doesn't wow me. Def a cute spot, but it's only Instagrammable foods. Not worth for the taste though :(

The food is superb. I have never had a banana flavored ice cream this tasty before. The service was…read moreamazing. Stephen was awesome and he served us wity a smile. Even recommended if its going to be too sweet to not do something and to try the strawberry matcha for my partner. The music is great. Not too heavy and very calming and inviting. So I would highly recommend this place. The merch here is even amazing. They have shirts and tumblers too. A must visit indeed. ~ Freya

This is my favorite place we stopped at to eat all day (we ate at three other places at least LOL)…read more It's such a cute spot - they have so many pastries and I wanted to try all of them / I'd definitely go here more often if this place existed in the city I live in. The pao de queijo was probably my favorite thing but I also liked the coconut truffle / enjoyed trying everything. I also picked up some snacks they were selling since it has a convenience store vibe and the Brazilian snacks we got were also really yummy.

Excellent food. The Mortadella sandwich and flan were excellent. My husband enjoyed the ham and…read morecheese too. The sandwiches are freshly made to order and the flan really was excellent. There is a little market and also a deli case so you can bring home some unique items. Julio was really helpful and we will definitely be back. Free parking in the lot or on the street.

Great brunch spot, fresh made food. My favorite is the pistachio buns( seasonal) or the homemade…read morebiscuits and gravy. Also anything from the bakery is worth your money.

I love the buttered tin so much!! Their cinnamon rolls and breakfast burrito are my go to. I think…read moreeverything is made with locally sourced ingredients, which is an amazing way to support our community. It's a cute little breakfast stop on the weekends. They are usually open until 3pm. It's street parking! Don't forget to order at the counter, then sit down and wait for the 10/10 breakfast.

Cute chocolate/honey shop!…read more NOTE: they have moved to a less visible, and honestly a little less photogenic, location across the river. They are now in a quiet area of businesses in the Harriet Island area, which happens to have lots of nice areas to stroll. This is a shop that sells artisan chocolate and honey. They're super proud of their honey and even invited me to check out the buzzing bee boxes out back! This is good honey; I don't have pure honey too often but this is very sweet stuff. The chocolate bonbons filled with honey are great, perfect blend of the two. You can also get chocolate-drizzled honeycomb which is quite intense and is ideally experienced shmushed onto some toast or creatively combined with something somehow, but it is a good idea to do something like that. And they have chocolate that isn't about honey but is interesting, artisan stuff! And you can sample a whole bunch of the flavors! Get bars of the ones you like or maybe do what I did and buy a mixed bag of little pieces and bring them to a party and let people guess what the flavors are. The owner was very nice to talk to here, so if you want to do some shopping that might involve either chocolate or honey I think you will be glad you came here.

Prices are too high. Just really creepy vibes I got every…read moretime there . Chocolate was delicious.

I was out exploring and found the Exquisite Cake Bakery. The decorated cakes were beautiful. I…read morewanted to buy one but I had no occasion to buy one for so I opted for a chocolate donut and apple turnover. Can't want to eat them for my breakfast. Staff was friendly and helpful. The store was clean and welcoming. The pastries were help-yourself with rules around using the bread tongs and trays to keep things sanitary. Great stop.

I tried Exquisite Cake Bakery for the first time by ordering a Too Good to Go full cake mystery bag…read morefor $9.99. We got a Caramel Tres Leches cake and it was the most delicious tres leches cake I have ever eaten. I never knew this bakery existed as it looks very unbecoming from the outside. It's in a strip mall on White Bear Ave. Once I stepped inside I was welcomed by the staff and the delicious smells of all the baked goods.